Truck and Wilderness unveil 'best-ever' festival line-ups

ORGANISERS of two Oxfordshire music festivals have unveiled dozens of new acts, saying they now have their best ever line-ups. Music writer ELLA REEVES reports

Wilderness, which takes place at Cornbury Park, near Charlbury, and Truck, which is held at Hill Farm, Steventon, near Didcot, have added to their bills with a fresh tranche of signings for the summer festivals.

For its fourth festival, Wilderness has booked singer-songwriter Joan as Policewoman and folk-pop duo Slow Club, featuring Charles Watson and Rebecca Taylor, for the three-day feast of music, dancing, theatre and food.

“More and more artists want to play Wilderness, including many, like London Grammar, who have played before as young artists and who are now coming back to headline. It’s great to see them holding us in such high regard.

“There are still more artists to come, which is really exciting, though I can’t give too much away at the moment.”

The team at Truck festival has also ended months of speculation by revealing their next tranche of bands, which includes an eclectic mix of local, national and international artists.

They will be joined by Oxford’s jazz-swing act The Original Rabbit Foot Spasm Band, five-piece Oxford-based Americana band Empty White Circles, and the Ralfe Band. Among the line-up are Julio Bashmore, Dan Croll, Danny And The Champions Of The World and My Darling Clementine, Oxford country-rock band The Dreaming Spires, featuring Truck festival founders Robin and Joe Bennett.

Slow Club

The festival will be headlined by Indie-rock bands The Cribs and White Lies, with appearances from Cowley folk-pop band Stornoway and Worcestershire indie-rockers Peace.

Organisers have also revealed the names for the festival’s Barn stage – which this World Cup year is being themed Rio Barnival and hosted by punk-rocker Andrew W.K. It features Gnarwolves, Johnny Foreigner, Lonely The Brave, Sam Duckworth, Kevin Devine, Tangled Hair, Radstewart, Woahnows and Brawlers.